中級(jí)英語寫作Task B

TaskB-1

Why…Thesisstatement&topicsentence

WhyICametoCollegeWhy?1.Originally,myparentsdidimfluencemyopinionsabouteducationingeneral.2.Later,Ibegantorecognizeinmyselfastrongdrivetoobtainknowledge.3.AthirdreasonthatIamattendingcollegeisthatIhavealwayshopedthatIcould,insomeway,makeacontributiontotheworld.ImproperthesisstatementsTheuniversitiesareexpandingtheenrolment.Canyouimaginelifewithoutwater?Ibelievethatitispossiblethattheincreasingnumberofcarscouldhaveanegativeinfluenceontraffic.InthisarticleIwilltalkaboutcohabitationamonguniversitystudents.Allbusinessmenarefoxy.ImpropertopicsentencesSmokingisbad.Carrieisawonderfulmother,andIthinksheneedstogetanewcar.Therearethreekindsoficecreaminthiscafe.Ihaveacousinwhowentabroadlastyear.Youshouldconcentrateonyourstudy.DiscusstofindMore

WhysandReasonsSharingOurTopicSentencesHomeworkWhy…Week12任務(wù)B-1:Why…

教學(xué)要旨：主題展開Lastweek’sinputreading:WhyICametoCollege

Haveyoudoneyourhomework?Pleaseopenyourhomework“Why…〞Pleasewritethemainideaofeachparagraphinclass.Then,developthemainideaofeachparagraphtoatopicsentence.Doyouknowwhatisatopicsentence?Let’sreviewthesamplewritingWhyIcametoCollegeinyourlastweek’shandoutfirst.Thefirstsentenceofthefirstparagraphinthesamplewritingisaquestion“WhyhaveIchosentoattendcollege?〞,whichisthethesisstatementofthewholecomposition.Thisquestionagainappearsatthebeginningofthelastparagraphtorespondtothethesisstatement.Thereforethethesisstatementthreadsthewholecompositiontogether.Exceptthefirstandthelastparagraphs,theparagraphsinthemiddlebecomethemainbody,wheretheauthordevelopshisargumentation.Theargumentsindifferentparagraphscanbeparallelorgoforwardonebyone.Usuallyeveryparagraphisindependent.Thefirstsentenceofthefirstparagraphisoftenthetenor,thatis,thetopicsentence.

Inthesamplewriting,thefirstsentenceofeachparagraphinthemainbodyisrespectively：Originally,myparentsdidinfluencemyopinionsabouteducationingeneral.Later,Ibegantorecognizeinmyselfastrongdrivetoobtainknowledge.ThefactthatIenjoylearningandgainingknowledgewasmymainreasonforchoosingtoentercollege,butImustadmitthatitwasnotthesolereason.AthirdreasonthatIamattendingcollegeisthatIhavealwayshopedthatIcould,insomeway,makeacontributiontotheworld.Finally,Ichosetoattendadiversifiedcollege,asopposedtoapurelytechnicalinstitute,becauseIfeelthatcollegeshouldallowapersontogrowinareasotherthanpureacademics.Thus,Icametocollegenotforonereason,butforseveraldifferentones.Aswecansee,thewholeparagraphdevelopsaroundthefirstsentence.Understandingthis,studentsbegintodesignthetopicsentenceforeachparagraphaccordingtothemainideatheyhavewritten.Thetopicsentenceisnotnecessarilythesum-upofthemainidea.Sometimesitistheintroductiontothemainidea,whichappearsintheformofquestions;oritcarriesonthepreviousparagraphandopensupthefollowing,wherethemainideaappearsinthelatterpart,suchasthetopicsentenceinthefourthparagraph“ThefactthatIenjoylearningandgainingknowledgewasmymainreasonforchoosingtoentercollege,butImustadmitthatitwasnotthesolereason.〞Haveyoucomposedthetopicsentencesforallparagraphs?Thenpleaseconsiderhowtorewritetheparagraphsinthemainbodyandrevisethebeginningandendingtomakeitrespondtoeachother.Beforerevision,let’sappreciateanarticlewrittenbyastudentofGrade2001.Student’sbestworksWhyICametoCollegeGrade01

DuSuming杜素明WilliamJenningsBryanoncesaid,“Destinyisnotamatterofchance,itisamatterofchoice.Itisnotathingtobewaitedfor;itisathingtobeachieved.〞Forme,itwastheadmissionnoticesentbyGuangdongUniversityofForeignStudiesthatgavemetherighttoimprovemylot.ThatlittlepieceofpaperfulfilledthedreamofenteringcollegewhichIkeptpursuinginthepastyears.But,whydidIchoosetoattendcollege?IhadalwaysclaimedthatIwantedtoattendcollege,butInevertrulyknewwhyinmyhighschool.Nevertheless,afteroneyear’scampuslife,IhavefinallyreachedtheconclusionthatIhavecometocollegenotforonesinglereason,butformany.hook(=lead-in)thesis

statement

ThefactthatIfeltaneedtoreceivefurthereducationandknowmoreabouttheworldmaybethemainreason.SinceIhadfinishedmyhighschool,astrongdesiretocontinuemystudyseemedtobenatural.IbecamekeenonEnglishunconsciouslywhenIwasinmiddleschool.Unlikemath,EnglishwastheverysubjectthatIputtheleasttimeintobutgainedthemostinreturn.Inotherwords,Englishwasmymostproductivesubject.OnceImadeheadway,IfeltevenmoreenthusiasticaboutEnglish.Iformedavirtuouscircle.Asaresult,givingEnglishuphalfwayseemednottobeawisechoice.Nonewouldimproveyourlotifyouyourselvesdidnot,wasn’tit?topicsentenceNext,Iwasalwaysconvincedthatuniversitycouldgivemefreereintoexploitmypotentialities.Inaddition,knowingmoreabouttheworldweliveinwouldhelpusliveawonderfullifewithmorehighlights.Knowledgeispower.Itsurelyoffersuspowertocopewithmountainsofdifficultiesandfinallyconquerthem.Tomorrow’sworldissuretobefullofchallengeandpressure.Talentedpeoplearetocomeoutlikemushroomsafterrain.Therefore,Ifeltaneedtobecomealearnedandversatileperson.topicsentence

Moreover,Ididn’twanttostepintosocietythatearly.ThefactthattheworldoutsidewassophisticatedwaswhatIcaredaboutinmymind:Moneybecomesthemostimportantthingafterwhichpeoplearerunningallalong;Colleaguestendtobematerialistic,jockeyingforposition,powerandfame.What’sworse,youhavetofacenumerousproblemsandsolvethembyyourself,becauseyouarenowanadultintheeyesofpeoplearoundyou.Besides,youaretoloseyourinnocenceandletslipsomelovelyandmovingscenes.Youarebusyrunningaboutformaintainingyourmonotonouslifeeveryday…MaybeitsoundsasifIweretoopessimistic,butitsecretlymadeonereasonwhyIcametocollege,tobefrank.topicsentence

AnotherreasonwasthatIwouldliketogoouttoenjoythefreshcircumstances,tobroadenmyhorizon,andtomakemorefriends.Amongtheyouthofthenewcentury,Ifeltasenseofmissiontoacceptnewthings,tobetemperedingreatstormsandtobeboldinblazingnewtrails.Thus,Ididnotallowmyselftobelikeafrogatthebottomofawell.Icalledupallmycouragetostrideintocollege,readytoenrichmyexperience.Inmyopinion,alifewithoutenteringcollegeisnotaperfectone,especiallyintoday’sworld.topicsentence

Finally,Icouldnotcometocollegewithouttheall-outsupportgivenbymydearparents.Theyarealwaysconsiderateandexpectingmetobeawell-trainedandwell-roundedperson.Ihavethedutynottoletthemdown.Nowroamingonthecampuswithbreezewaftingthefreshscentofflowers,Ismileattheworld.IfinallyknowwhyIcametocollege—tosee,tolearn,toconquer.responsetothethesisstatementtopicsentenceNowpleasestarttore-writeyourownarticle.Newrule:Pleaseleavesomemarginontheleftofyourarticle,whereyoucanmarkthestructuralarrangementsuchashook,thesisstatement,topicsentence,responsetothethesisstatement,andsoon.(similartotheformatoftoday’shandout)SomuchfortodayTaskB-2

…over…RhetoricalModesInputreadingHooknarrationThesissentencecomparison/contrast

AftertheNorthridgeearthquakeinLosAngelesafewyearsago,Idiscoveredsomethinginterestingaboutmypets.Mycatstookcareofthemselvesbyhidinginplaceswherethingscouldnotfallonthem,andtheyatewhateverfoodtheycouldfind.Ontheotherhand,mydogwascryingandneededtobetakencareof.Hestillneededmetofeedhimandtakehimforawalk.Frommyexperience,Isawthatindoorcatsmakebetterpetsthanindoordogsbecausecatsdonotneedtobeexercised,theycleanthemselves,andtheyarebornpotty-trained.topicsentence1Support〔development〕Comparison/contrastwrap-up

Indoorcatsdonotneedapersontoexercisethembutdogsdo.Dogsneedtobewalkedeverydaysothattheycanbehealthyandcalmer.Catsdonotdependonapersonforexercisebecausecatsexerciseontheirown.Althoughbothpetsneedtheirexercise,catsmanageontheirown.Therefore,catsneedlessattentionthandogs.Topicsentence2support(illustration)comparison/contrast

wrap-up

Indoorcatsareeasiertokeepcleanthandogs.Forinstance,whendogsaretakenforawalk,theyusuallydonotcomebackascleanaswhentheyleft.Dogswillgetdirtybywalkingthroughmudpuddlesandrollingaroundonpeople’slawns.Catsdonotneedtobetakenonwalks,sotheyarenotasdirtyasdogs.Whendogsgetdirty,theyneedtobegivenabath,andwhencatsgetdirty,theycleanthemselves.Therefore,catshaveabettersenseofhygienethandogsdo.Topicsentence3support(development)comparison/contrastCauseandeffectwrap-up

Finally,catsareeasiertopotty-trainthandogs.Dogsareunpredictableaboutwhentheyneedtogotothebathroom,sotheyneedtobetakenoutsideonaregularbasis.Catsdonothavethisproblembecausetheyarebornpotty-trained.Allyouhavetodoisplacekittensintoalitterbox,andwhentimecomes,theywillcontinuetousethelitterboxvirtuallywithouthelp.Catsaresimplymoreindependentthandogs.thesisrestatementso-what

Indoorcatsmakebetterpetsthanindoordogsbecausecatsdon’tneedtobeexercised,theycleanthemselves,andthey’rebornpotty-trained.Thinkaboutthesethingsthenexttimeyou’reconsideringowningapet.Unlessyoudon’thaveenoughtodoinyourlifealready,acatshouldbeyourchoice.AnalysisThereisone“shortcoming〞inthisarticle:thefirstsentenceofthelastparagraphshouldhavebeentherestatementofthethesislyingattheendofthefirstparagraph.Butherenearlyeverywordisrepeated.InEnglishwriting,restatementispresentedbyparaphraseinsteadofrepetition.AsasampleintheAmericanwritingcoursebook,thearticlegivesusaclearideaofthelayoutofanargumentativewriting.

Thestructureofthemainbodyisespeciallytypical.Thetopicsentenceofeachparagraphrespondstooneoftheaspectsofthethesisattheendofthefirstparagraph.Followingthetopicsentenceareseriesofsupport,whichfallsintotwocategories:developmentandillustration.Attheendoftheparagraphisasum-upsentence,whichechoesthetopic.Thissentenceiscalledwrap-up.Actuallythewrap-upisnotnecessaryforeveryparagraph.Discuss1Thesisstatement

&TopicSentencesDiscuss2Howarethetopicsentencessupported?RhetoricalModes1.Narration2.Description3.Example4.Definition5.Classification6.Comparison/Contrast7.Cause8.Effect9.Processrhetoricalmodesindifferentpartsnarrationinhook,comparison/contrastforthesisstatement,comparison/contrastforsupportinthemainbody.

Thesubordinateclauseswith“so〞and“because〞inparagraphfourbelongtocause-effectrhetoricalmode.Rhetoricalmodesaremasteredthroughalargeamountofreadingandwriting.Thesemodesarehelpfultorealizethefunctionofdifferentparts.Takehookasanexample,severalstrategiesareavailable,suchasabriefaccountofpersonalexperience,introducingthethesisthroughquestions,providingvividandinterestingexamples,offeringsurprisingfactsorstatistics,givingreaders’imaginationtofullplaybyusing“what-if〞sentencepattern,quotationofwell-knownsayings,discussiononthedefinitionofoneortwokeywordsandsoon.Indoingso,readers’attentionisdrawntothethesisofthewholearticle.Commonly-usedrhetoricalmodes:

Narrationisthetellingofastorywithsomecentralideaormessage.Descriptionportrayssomethingorsomeonebyappealingtothereader’sphysicalsenses.Exampleillustratesaconceptorevent.Definitionexplainsthemeaningofaterm,oftenanabstractconcept.Classificationgroupsthingsintocategoriesbasedonasingleunifyingprinciple.Commonly-usedrhetoricalmodes:

Comparison/contrastdiscussesthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweentwopeople,things,orideas.Causeshowsthereasonsormotivationsthatmakesomethinghappen.Effectshowstheresultsorconsequencesofaneventoraction.Processdiscussesthestepsbywhichsomethingiscreatedoraccomplished,oritdiscusseshowthepartsofsomethingfittogethertoformthewhole.ReadthetwostudentworksPlantsoverPetsBusesoverCarsDiscussIfoundmoresupportingtechniques…h(huán)omework…over…Suggestedwritingtask:Writea5-paragraphcompositionofmorethan300wordswith“…over…〞aspartofthetitle.Youneedtodecideonthesubjectmatterbyyourself,andincludethehook,thesis,topicsentences,support,wrap-up,thesisrestatement,andso-whatinyourarticle.Week15WelldoneNamesofthebestperformedstudentsinthistaskofyourownclass.Thefollowing7pagescontainstheextractionsfromthehomeworkofmyownstudents.Pleasechoosesomegoodparagraphswrittenbyyourstudentstoreplacethem.Goodhook&thesisstatement

Standinganywhereonthecampus,youjusthavenomeansofstoppingboysandgirlsinpairscomingintoyoursight.Itseemstohavebeenaspecialsceneryoncampusforboysandgirlstogohandinhand.However,maybeyouwillthinkIamtheoddoneout,Istillwanttosay,beingsignleismuchbetterthanhavingaboyfriendoragirlfriend.

溫瑩瑩Goodillustration

Firstly,anexamplecanimpressthechildrenmuchmorethanaprecept.Parentssometimesfinditquitehardtomaketheirkidstodowhattheyaresupposedtoeveniftheparentshaverepeatedthepreceptsoverandoveragain,theirchildrenstilldonotrealizethevalueoftheprecepts,whichdiscouragetheirparentssomuch.Buthowaboutsettingagoodexample?

Here’safather’sexperience.Onedaywhenhavingawalkwithhislittleson,hepickedupadesertedpaperbagandputitintoawastebinnearby.Thenextdaywhiletakingawalkwithhissonasusual,hewassurprisedtofindhissonpickedupanabandonedplasticbagandputitintoawastebin.Hecouldn’tbelievehiseyesatall!Fortimes,hehadpreachedhissontokeepclean,buthissonhadneverlistenedtohim.Atthattime,herealizedthatagoodexamplewasbetterthanagoodprecept.

吳惠華

Pleasehaveacheck–Haveyouincludedanyexamplesinthemainbodyofyourhomework?Ifyouhave,pleasemarkitwithadelta(Δ).Goodthesisresponse&so-what

Inaword,winterisbetterthansummerbecauseinthisseason,therelationshipbetweenpeopleiscloser,thecolddaysareeasiertoweatherandpeoplearehavingabetterappetite.Thinkaboutthesethingsthenexttimeyouarepraisingorcomplainingaseason.

杜吉麗Goodthesisresponse&so-what

Beingmarried,peoplecanbenefitfromgoodhealth,financialadvantagesandguaranteestotheirchildren.Considerthesereasonswhenyouhappentobeatthecrossroadsofmarriageandcohabitation.Ifyouwanttoenjoyahappyandstablelife,marriageshouldbeyourchoice.

黎潔媛errorsSinceIwasalittlechild,Iwastoldthatwhatshoulddoandwhatshouldnotdo.WhenIwasalittlechild,Iwasoftentoldwhatshouldbedoneandwhatshouldnotbedone.

細(xì)節(jié)支持句型:擴(kuò)展與例證有機(jī)結(jié)合

detailedsupport:combinationofdevelopmentandillustrationThisdoesnotmeanthatthinkingmustalwaysbeconscious.Theevidencethattheunconsciousmindcanjoininpurposefulmentalactivityisoverwhelming.Themostdramaticexampleofthisisthefactthatinsightsoftencometouswhenwearenolongerworkingonaproblem.Pleasewriteasimilarparagraphinclassusingtheunderlinedexpressions.細(xì)節(jié)支持句型:例證

detailedsupport:illustrationAsanillustrationofthebenefitstohostthe2000SummerOlympics,wemayseemorethanabilliondollarsthevictorissuretolandintelevisionandadvertisingrevenue,plustheinestimableprestigeofholdingthefirstOlympiadofthenextmillennium.Nowonderithasbeenafiercecompetition.Pleasewriteasimilarparagraphinclassusingtheunderlinedexpressions.Asummaryofthefive-paragraphargumentativewritingAvividhookisusedinthefirstparagraphandthenfocusisputonthethesis.Thefollowingparagraphsarethedevelopmentofthethesisstatement,witheachparagraphbeginningwithatopicsentence.Eachtopicsentenceissupportedbydifferentrhetoricalmodes,suchasillustration,definition,cause-effect,comparison/contrastorclassification.Thefirstsentenceofthelastparagraphrespondstothethesisstatementinthefirstparagraph.Thearticlecanbefinishedbyseveralhumoroussentencesastheso-what.InputreadingThesamplearticleisamagazineargumentativearticle,whichiswritteninafreeway.Aswecansee,thisarticle,thoughfreelywritten,doesnotdivergefromthelayoutofEnglishargumentativewritingatall.Itiscomposedoften-plusparagraphs.Thelayoutremainsthesamewhentheanalysisismade.ProfitsofPraisePleasereaditbyyourselffirst.RhetoricalanalysisParagraphs1-3Fromparagraphonetothree,theauthor’spersonalexperienceistold,withnarrationastherhetoricalmode.Thispartservesasahook.ItwastheendofmyexhaustingfirstdayaswaitressinabusyNewYorkrestaurant.Mycaphadgoneawry,myapronwasstained,myfeetached.TheloadedtraysIcarriedfeltheavierandheavier.Wearyanddiscouraged,Ididn’tseemabletodoanythingright.AsImadeoutacomplicatedcheckforafamilywithseveralchildrenwhohadchangedtheirice-creamorderadozentimes,Iwasreadytoquit.

Thenthefathersmiledatmeashehandedmemytip.“Welldone,〞hesaid.“You’velookedafterusreallywell.〞Suddenlymytirednessvanished.Ismiledback,andlater,whenthemanageraskedmehowI’dlikemyfirstday,Isaid,“Fine!〞Thosefewwordsofpraisehadchangedeverything.paragraph4

Thesisisstated.Theauthorusesliterarylanguagewithabundantmetaphors.Thoughitisnotasstiffasfive-paragraphargumentativewriting,therhetoricalmodesstillremaintobedefinitionandcomparison/contrast.

Praiseislikesunlighttothehumanspirit;wecannotflowerandgrowwithoutit.Andyet,whilemostofusareonlytooreadytoapplytoothersthecoldwindofcriticism,wearesomehowreluctanttogiveourfellowsthewarmsunshineofpraise.

MainbodyFromthefifthparagraph,thetopicofeachparagraphispointedoutinthefirstsentenceinanaturalway,whichmeansthemainbodybegins.Thispartcontinuestillparagraphtwelve.Themainbodyfallsdownintotwosections.Onebeginsfromparagraphfivetoparagraphnine,whichiscorrespondingtothesecondpartofthethesisstatement:“…whilemostofusareonlytooreadytoapplytoothersthecoldwindofcriticism,wearesomehowreluctanttogiveourfellowsthewarmsunshineofpraise.〞Theothersectionisfromparagraphtentoparagraphtwelve,whichiscorrespondingtothefirstpartofthethesisstatement:“Praiseislikesunlighttothehumanspirit;wecannotflowerandgrowwithoutit〞.Aswecansee,intermsofstructurethisarticleisdevelopedaroundthethesis.paragraphs5Thesupportinparagraphfivebelongstoillustration,withnarrationastherhetoricalmodeandthelastsentenceaswrap-up.Why—whenonewordcanbringsuchpleasure?Afriendofminewhotravelswidelyalwaystriestolearnalittleofthelanguageofanyplaceshevisits.She’snotmuchofalinguist,butshedoesknowhowtosayoneword—“beautiful〞—inseverallanguages.Shecanuseittoamotherholdingherbaby,ortoalonelysalesmanfishingoutpicturesofhisfamily.Theabilityhadearnedherfriendsallovertheworld.paragraphs6Thesupportinparagraphsixbelongstodevelopment,withcomparison/contrastandcause/effectastherhetoricalmodes.

It’sstrangehowcharyweareaboutpraising.Perhapsit’sbecausefewofusknowhowtoacceptcomplimentsgracefully.Instead,weareembarrassedandshrugoffthewordswearereallysogladtohear.Becauseofthisdefensivereaction,directcomplimentsaresurprisinglydifficulttogive.Thatiswhysomeofthemostvaluedpatsonthebackarethosewhichcometousindirectly,inaletterorpassedonbyafriend.Whenonethinksofthespeedwithwhichspitefulremarksareconveyed,itseemsapitythatthereisn’tmoreefforttorelaypleasingandflatteringcomments.

paragraphs7Thesupportinparagraphsevenbelongstoillustration,withparallelexamplesandrhetoricalquestionastherhetoricalmodes.

It’sespeciallyrewardingtogivepraiseinareasinwhicheffortgenerallygoesunnoticedorunmentioned.Anartistgetscomplimentedforagloriouspicture,acookforaperfectmeal.Butdoyouevertellyourlaundrymangerhowpleasedyouarewhentheshirtsaredonejustright?Doyoueverpraiseyourpaperboyforgettingthepapertoyouintime365daysayear?

paragraphs8Thesupportinparagraph8belongstodevelopmentwithillustrationusedsometimes.

Praiseisparticularlyappreciatedbythosedoingroutinejobs:gas-stationattendants,waitresses—evenhousewives.Doyouevergointoahouseandsay,“Whatatidyroom〞?Hardlyanybodydoes.That’swhyhouseworkisconsideredsuchadrearygrind.Commentisoftenmadeaboutactivitieswhicharerelativelyeasyandsatisfying,likearrangingflowers;butnotaboutjobswhicharehardanddirty,likescrubbingfloors.Shakespearesaid,“Ourpraisesareourwages.〞Sincesooftenpraiseistheonlywageahousewifereceives,surelysheofallpeopleshouldgethermeasure.Thefour-stepmodeinthisparagraphisquitespecial,sharingsimilaritytothetraditionalstructureinChinesewriting.Thefirstsentence(topicsentence)developsslowlyuntilthelastwordpointsoutthecentraltopic“housewives〞.Thisiscalledintroduction.Illustrationsaroundthetopicsentencearegiveninsentencestwo,threeandfour.Thisservesaselucidationofthetheme,withtheformatofquestion,answerandconclusion.Thefifthsentencefurtherdevelopsthetopic,whichisaboutanotherkindofactivitiesthatwilleasilywinthepraise.Thisiscalledtransitiontoanotherviewpoint,withcomparison/contrastastherhetoricalmode.Sentencesix(quotation)andsentenceseven(reasonplusconclusion)aretheresponsetothefirstsentence.Thisgoesbacktothecentraltopicabout“housewives〞again.Itiscalledsumming-up.paragraphs9Developmentandillustrationareusedinthesupportinparagraphnine.Contrastisusedinthesecondsentenceinthisparagraph.Examplesaregiveninthewayofnarrationinthefollowingsentences.Mothersknowinstinctivelythatforchildrenanounceofpraiseisworthapoundofscolding.Still,we’renotalwaysasperceptiveaswemightbeaboutapplyingtherule.OnedayIwascriticizingmychildrenforsquabbling.“Canyoueverplaypeacefully?〞Ishouted.Susannalookedatmequizzically.“Ofcoursewecan,〞shesaid.“Butyoudon’tnoticeuswhenwedo.〞paragraphs10Illustrationisusedinparagraphtenandtherhetoricalmodesarenarrationandquotation.Teachersagreeaboutthevalueofpraise.Oneteacherwritesthatinsteadofdrowningstudents’compositionsincriticalredink,theteacherwillgetfarmoreconstructiveresultsbyfindingoneortwothingswhichhavebeendonebetterthanlasttime,andcommentingfavourablyonthem.“Ibelievethatastudentknowswhenhehashandedinsomethingabovehisusualstandard,〞writestheteacher,“andthathewaitshungrilyforabriefcommentinthemargintoshowhimthattheteacherisawareofit,too.〞

Theinterestingthingisthatinparagraphtenhowteacherscommentonthestudents’worksismentioned,whichhappenstohavethesameviewasthatofthelengthapproachtowriting.paragraphs11Inparagrapheleventhesupportbelongstoillustration,withprocessastherhetoricalmode.Behaviouralscientistshavedonecountlessexperimentstoprovethatanyhumanbeingtendstorepeatanactwhichhasbeenimmediatelyfollowedbyapleasantresult.Inonesuchexperiment,anumberofschoolchildrenweredividedintothreegroupsandgivenarithmetictestsdailyforfivedays.Onegroupwasconsistentlypraisedforitspreviousperformance;anothergroupwascriticized;thethirdwasignored.

paragraphs12Thesupportinparagraphtwelvebelongstoillustration,withcomparison/contrastastherhetoricalmode.Notsurprisingly,thosewhowerepraisedimproveddramatically.Thosewhowerecriticizedimprovedalso,butnotmuch.Andthescoresofthechildrenwhowereignoredhardlyimprovedatall.Interestinglythebrightestchildrenwerehelpedjustasmuchbycriticismasbypraise,butthelessablechildrenreactedbadlytocriticism,neededpraisethemost.Yetthelatteraretheveryyoungsterswho,inmostschools,failtogetthepatontheback.

paragraphs13-14Paragraphsthirteenandfourteenareequivalenttothelastoneofthefive-paragraphargumentativewritingintermsofstructure.Thispartcomprisesthesisrestatementandso-what.Togivepraisecoststhegivernothingbutamoment’sthoughtandamoment’seffort—perhapsaquickphonecalltopassonacompliment,orfiveminutesspentwritinganappreciativeletter.Itissuchasmallinvestment—an